The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [570]
163 The commentaries explain in detail the conditions that conduce to the maturation of the enlightenment factors. See The Way of Mindfulness, pp. 134–149.
164 With this section, the contemplation of dhammā culminates in the understanding of the Dhamma in its core formulation as the Four Noble Truths. The longer Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta of the Dı̄gha Nikāya gives extended definitions and elaborations of each of the truths.
165 Final knowledge, aññā, is the arahant’s knowledge of final deliverance. Non-return (anāgāmitā) is, of course, the state of a non-returner, who is reborn in a higher world where he attains final Nibbāna without ever returning to the human world.
SUTTA 11
166 The phrase “only here” means only in the Buddha’s Dispensation. The four recluses (samaṇa) referred to are the four grades of noble disciples—the stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arahant. A “lion’s roar” (sı̄han̄da), according to MA, is a roar of supremacy and fearlessness, a roar that cannot be confuted. In connection with the Buddha’s proclamation, see also his discussion with Subhadda in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16:5.27/ii.151–52).
167 MA: Even though the adherents of other sects all declare arahantship—understood in a general way as spiritual perfection—to be the goal, they point out other attainments as the goal in accordance with their views. Thus the brahmins declare the Brahma-world to be the goal, the ascetics declare the gods of Streaming Radiance, the wanderers the gods of Refulgent Glory, and the Ājı̄vakas the non-percipient state, which they imagine to be “infinite mind.”
168 “Favouring and opposing” (anurodhapaṭῑvirodha) means reacting with attraction through lust and with aversion through hate.
169 Proliferation (papañca), according to MA, is here mental activity governed by craving and views. For more on this important term, see n.229.
170 The view of being (bhavadiṭṭ) is eternalism, the belief in an eternal self; the view of non-being (vibhavadiṭṭhi) is annihilationism, the denial of any principle of continuity as a basis for rebirth and kammic retribution. The adoption of one view entailing opposition to the other ties up with the earlier statement that the goal is for one who does not favour and oppose.
171 As the origin (samudaya) of these views, MA mentions eight conditions: the five aggregates, ignorance, contact, perception, thought, unwise attention, bad friends, and the voice of another. Their disappearance (atthangama) is the path of stream-entry, which eradicates all wrong views. Their gratification (ass̄da) may be understood as the satisfaction of psychological need that they provide; their danger (ādı̄nava) is the continual bondage that they entail; the escape (nissarṇa) from them is Nibbāna.
172 MA glosses full understanding (pariññ̄) here as overcoming, transcending (samatikkamā), with reference to the commentarial notion of pahānapariññā, “full understanding as abandonment.” See n.7.
173 This passage clearly states that the critical factor differentiating the Buddha’s teaching from all other religious and philosophical creeds is its “full understanding of clinging to a doctrine of self.” This means, in effect, that the Buddha alone is able to show how to overcome all views of self by developing penetration of the truth of non-self. Since the other spiritual teachers lack this understanding of non-self, their claims to fully understand the three other kinds of clinging are also suspect.
174 MA: That is, the Buddha teaches how clinging to sense pleasures (understood as comprising all forms of greed, MṬ) is abandoned by the path of arahantship, the other three clingings by the path of stream-entry.
175 This passage is stated to show how clinging is to be abandoned. Clinging is traced back to its root-cause in ignorance, and then the destruction of ignorance is shown to be the means to eradicate clinging.
176 The Pali idiom, n’eva ka